Can-testing machine.



No. 876,557. I PATENTED JAN. '14, 1908.

' ,0. J. JOHNSON. I CAN TESTING MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1907.

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' No. 876,557. PATENTEDJAN.14, 1908.

- 0.J.JOHNSON. I

CAN TESTING MACHINE.

APP-L1GATIOIT FILED JAN. 2, 1907 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

shown.

tion thereof in line 3-3, Fig. 2.

OLIVER J. JOHNSON, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

CAN-TESTING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed January 2. 1907- Serial No. 350-362.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

B1: it known that I, OLIVER J. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of est Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Can Testing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to can testing ma chines of that type in whichthe cans are held tightly closed in holders on a carrier which is rotated or moved to immerse the cans successively in water, air being maintained under pressure in the cans while they are submerged, and the leaky cans being detected by bubbles in the water caused by the air escaping from them. Means are pro vided for automatically discharging the pen feet cans from the holders into a chute or receptacle, and each holder is also provided with a releasing device which is normally inactive, but which is moved by an attendant to a position to effect the discharge of the can from the holder into aditlercnt chute or receptacle controlled thereby when such can is found to have a leak.

This invention relates especially to the means for opening the can clamps or holders to thus separate the leaky from the perfect cans, and the'primary object of the invention is to produce a device which will be efiicient and reliable in operation and will not get out of order, and which is located so as to bereadily seen and operated.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets: Figure 1 is a'front elevation, partly broken away, of a can-testing machine embodying the invention, only a portion of the entire number of can holders being Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, in line 22, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional eleva- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the part shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an outside elevation, partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of one of the can holders and operating devices, showing the closed position of the parts. Fig. Bis an 4 inside elevation, partly in section, of the same, showing the open position of the'parts.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents a rotary carrier for the can holders or clamps B, which are arranged in a circular series at or near the periphery of the carrier. The carrier shown consists of a circular wheel or disk at and an annular ring or frame a of substantially the same diameter as-the disk which is located at one side of and connected to the disk by spaced brackets 0 and im- The carrier means, and, as usual,

means are provided for maintaining air under pressure in the cans while they are submerged, but as these means form no part of this invention they are not shown in the drawings. They and the other partsmentioned may be of any usual or suitable construction.

Each can holder orclamp comprises two opposite heads or disks one of which, I), may be 'statlonary, while the other one, I), is movable toward and from the stationary head to so clamp and release the can. One head is designed to bear against the open or mouth end of the can, being suitably constructed to tightly close the mouth, and having a assage b connected to a pipe or passage e, igs.

3, 5 and 6, forsupplying the can with compressed .air. In t e holder shown in the drawings, the stationary head I) is connected to the air supply pipe, and the other or movable head is secured to a stem I) slide in a bearing opening in the ring a of the carrier, but so far as this invention is concerned, either head could be constructed for supplying the air to the can, and the clamp heads could also be constructed and mounted on the carrler in any suitable Toggle joints are shown for movable heads of the cl each of a lever F, Figs. 5

way.

operating the amps, consisting and 6, pivoted on 2 the carrier, anda link f pivoted to the lever and to the outer end of the stem 6 of the movable clamp head. The toggle lever F is fulcrumed by a suitable pivot f arranged'i'a dially on the carrier ring a and is provided at its outer orfree end with a which extends radially outwardly beyond the periphery of the carrier. In the rotation of the carrier this stud successively strikes relatively stationarydevices whereby the toggle lever is swung in and open the can clamp.

v represents the usual chute for feeding vessel D con- 5 arranged to 90 pin or stud f out to close and the cans to the carrier, and G and Gr the usual discharge chutes for the perfect and 'leaky cans, respectively.- -These chutes or runways are arranged at one side of the rorest against the guide plate H and on center- 'ing plates h" adjustably secured to the brackets of the carrier, see Fig. 2. An ordinary clamp-closing cam or device I is secured to a bracket t on the machlne frame and. 1S arranged adjacent to the periphery of the carrier above the point at which the cans are.

fed to the clamps, and as each clamp passes the same it engages the stud f of the toggle lever for such clam and forces the'lever and clam head inwar ly to. the position shown forthe upplermost lever in Fig.-' 3, thereby clamping t e can, which is kept in. proper position clamped, by the guide and eentering- -plates H and h. The toggle lever is thrown to or beyond a dead centerposition so that the clamp is heldclosed until the lever again operated to open it. The clamps are automatically openedagain to release the. cams after they have passed through 'the-water by the opening cam or device-consisting, in the construction illustrated, of acam rib or track K on the frame bracket 11, against which the toggle lever studs strike and slide. This opening cam is located at such a point as to open the clamps and release the cans after they pass the discharge chute G2 for the leaky cans and just before they reach the discharge chute G for the perfect cans, so that the cans will be shoved or knocked out of the clamps into this latter chute by strikmg a stationary cam or device k, Fig. 2, on

the frame.

For releasing the leaky cans at the proper oint to enter the discharge chute Gr thereor, the followin means are employed: A

leaky can releaseever L (hereinafter called a release-lever) is pivoted to the outer or free end of each togglelever opposite to the stud f and is adapted to swing from a normal position in which it extends laterally or toward the carrier disk from its pivot to an abnormal position in which it projects radially inward with respect to the carrier, that is, oppositely 4to the toggle lever stud f These'releare. evers are/freely pivoted and will swinger! their pivots and assume diifereut positio'iis as the carrier rotates. The outward swing of the release levers is limited by can clamp.

between the clamp heads until projections or parts Z at their pivot ends adapted to engage the toggle levers. Figs. 1

and 4 each show the different positions of the release levers. M, Figs; 1, 3 and 1, represents a device for engaging the release levers l; to open the can clamps to free the leaky cans. This device, which, in the construction shown, consists of a cam strip secured. to a stationary bracket Z on the frame, is located inside of the circular path traversed by the release levers when in their normal lateral position, so that when in this position they will pass by the cam without striking it. When, however, a release lever is lifted to its radial position, see the third lever from the-bottom in Fig. .1, itwill strike the release-cam M and will be thereby forced laterally outward or away from the carrier so as to swing the toggle lever to which it is attached and open the The release-cam is located in position to thus open the clamp just before it reaches the leaky can discharge chute G and the. can is shoved or knocked out of the open clamp into the chute by a suitable device, such as the flexible or spring finger N which is located opposite to the chute in position to engage the cans as they pass it. The knockout spr ng N will be deflected by the cans which are held in the closedclamps and these cans will move on to the perfectcan releasecam I. When in the rotation of the carrier the release levers are carried upwardly and inverted, they will swing down by gravity to the radial position, and will again swing back to the normal or lateral position. before they enter the testing tank. Each lever will thus swing from one position to the other as the carrier rotates and always be in normal position when it enters the testing tank, whether or not it has been previously lifted to release a leaky can. No means other than the weight of the levers are required to return them to the normal position after operation, and the levers being loosely pivoted and relatively long and heavy, their action will be certain and reliable. The release levers and their operating cam or device are always in full view of the attendant and it is easy for him to determine whether or not arelease lever is in proper position to release a leaky can, and if not, to move it. lease lever arranged as described is for these reasons much more desirable and reliable than a sliding release device.

I claim as my invention: v

1. In a can testing machine, thecombination of a movable can holder, means for automatically opening and closing said can holder, a release lever pivoted to a part of said opening and closing means, and an actuating device for said release lever, said release lever being arranged to engage said actuating device when placed in one position to move said operating lever, and to pass by said actuating device without engagement; therewith The pivoted rewhen in anothe set forth.

2. In a can testing machine, the combination of a movable can holder, an operating lever therefor, devices arranged to engage said lever and move it to open and close said can holder, a release lever pivoted to. said operating lever, and an actuating device for said release lever, said release lever being arranged to engage said actuating device when placed in one position to move said operating lever, and to pass by said actuating device without engagement therewithwhen in another position, substantially as set forth.

3. In a can testing machine, the combination of a rotary carrier, a can holder mounted thereon, an operating lever for said can holder, devices arranged to engage said lever and move it to open and close said can holder, a release lever pivoted to said operating lever to swing from a lateral position to a position radially of said carrier, and an actuating device for said release lever arranged to engage position, substantially as the lever only when it is placed in the radial position, substantially as set forth.

4. In a can testing machine, the combination of a rotary carrier, a can holder mounted thereon, an operating. lever for said can holder having a stud projecting radially outward relative to said carrier, devices arranged to engage said lever stud and move said lever to open and close said can holder, a release lever pivoted to said operating lever to swing from a lateral position to a position in which it extends radially inward relative to said carrier, and an actuating device for'said release lever arranged to engage the lever when it is placed in the radial position, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand, this 18th day of December, 1906.

OLIVER J. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD O.- I'IARD, C. W. PARKER. 

